Want a boxy SUV that runs on batteries? Check out the Twisted NAS-E
Everyone loves the Land Rover Defender, and what better way to appreciate one than by converting it to an EV? [credit: Twisted Automotive ]
American automotive anglophilia appears to focus mainly on the Land Rover Defender these days. Used examples of these utilitarian imports command asking prices that rival the similarly agricultural G-wagen but without the veneer of hip-hop video stardom, far outstripping what you'd pay for an old and battered farm vehicle in its country of origin. A new Defender is on the way, one that's much more modern and should even come with some electrification in time, but if you want to drive something boxy off-road without burning any gas, that's mostly meant waiting for a Bollinger. But now there's an alternative, albeit one that's even more expensive: the Twisted NAS-E.
It's the product of Twisted Automotive, a Yorkshire-based company that exists to restomod Defenders and nothing but Defenders. Like Singer and Porsches, Twisted finds old Landies and spiffs them up, adding a modern powertrain and luxurious leather-wrapped interior. That's mostly meant using a GM LT1 or LT4 V8, but now there's also an electric option.
The NAS-E starts off as a sort-wheelbase soft-top Defender 90, but instead of a small-block V8, it's powered by a Remy Borg-Warner electric motor with 160kW (214hp) and 380Nm (280lb-ft). That motor, in turn, is powered by a 60kWh battery pack, which Twisted says will provide 200 miles (321km) of range. I'm not entirely sure where Twisted is getting its batteries from-we've asked the company and will update this post if we find out.
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